Talk of the Zika virus is everywhere these days, and it has many people understandably worried. On Tuesday, UK HealthCare experts held a news conference to answer questions about Zika. The bottom line? If you’re here in Kentucky and aren’t planning to travel this summer, your risk of catching Zika is very low. But there are things you can do to be prepared in case that risk increases this summer.

“At the present time, the risk for infection is low for Kentuckians not traveling to areas with active Zika,” said Dr. Phillip Chang, UK HealthCare chief medical officer. “However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to provide updates and if locally transmitted cases are found in the U.S., the risk could increase.”

What is Zika virus?

The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites or through sexual contact with an infected person. Currently, virus transmission is happening in many Caribbean and Central and South American countries. Although many people who become infected have mild or no symptoms, pregnant women who contract the disease are at high risk for complications. Zika has been linked to microcephaly, a potentially fatal neurological disorder characterized by an abnormally small head.

Currently, the only cases in the U.S. have been travel-associated. But concern is growing about the possibility of travelers spreading it to mosquitoes in the U.S., which can then infect people who have not traveled to countries with the active virus. The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the main carrier of the virus, can be found in the U.S. during the summer months, including Kentucky. This means that the Zika virus in Kentucky could be a real possibility.

“Currently, there is no anti-viral treatment and no vaccine for the Zika virus, so we are focusing on prevention and risk reduction and, if necessary, proper screening for our patients if Zika becomes a concern in the region,” said Dr. Derek Forster, UK HealthCare medical director for infection prevention and control.

Pregnant women and Zika

Since February, UK HealthCare’s obstetrics and gynecology clinics have been educating patients on the risks of Zika, particularly for pregnant patients or pregnant patients with partners who travel to these areas, said Dr. Wendy Hansen,chair of UK Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“We have been telling pregnant patients to postpone travel to areas with outbreaks of Zika virus, which currently is nearly all of Central America and much of the Caribbean and South America,” Hansen said. “We also are counseling and advising patients on what to do if they have partners that plan to or have traveled to these areas.”

According to current CDC guidelines, the following special precautions are recommended for pregnant women:

Pregnant women should not travel to any area with Zika.

If you must travel to one of these areas, talk to your doctor or other health care provider first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during your trip.

Until more is known, pregnant women with male sex partners who have lived in or traveled to an area with Zika virus should either use a condom every time they have sex or abstain from sex throughout the pregnancy.

Precautions for everyone

While the Zika virus is most dangerous for pregnant women who risk complications, everyone is urged to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites during the summer months to prevent possible spread of the disease.

Precautions include:

Wearing protective clothes, including long-sleeved shirts and long pants. For extra protection, treat clothing with permethrin, a chemical that repels insects and kills mosquitoes and ticks when sprayed on clothing, tents and other gear.

Using an EPA-registered insect repellent every day containing one or more of the following active ingredients: DEET, PICARIDIN or IR3535.

Using screens on windows and doors, and using air conditioning when available.

Keeping mosquitoes from laying eggs in and near standing water near your home.

“Although these precautions are especially important for pregnant women and women of childbearing age who want to become pregnant, we want everyone to educate themselves on how to protect their family members and friends,” Hansen said.

Watch UK HealthCare experts discuss Zika virus below.

Next steps:

The CDC recommends that testing for the Zika virus be done for pregnant women who have recently traveled somewhere with active Zika or anyone who has traveled and has symptoms.

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and pools everywhere will be opening this weekend.

Swimming and water recreation can be great fun, but they can also be dangerous. So before you and your family hit the water, check out these tips for keeping the kids safe.

Water safety tips to teach your children:

Learn how to swim.

Always swim with a buddy.

If you can’t swim, don’t get in water deeper than your shoulders.

Always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life vest when you are playing water sports, when you’re near an open body of water or when you’re on a boat.

Never run, push or jump on others around water.

If you see someone struggling in the water, shout for help. Don’t try to rescue the person yourself.

Water safety tips for adults to keep in mind:

Never leave children alone near water – adults must supervise at all times.

Never let children swim alone – no exceptions to this rule, ever.

Children in baby bath seats and rings must be within arm’s reach every second.

Teach children to swim after age 4.

Never substitute a flotation device for supervision.

Do not allow children to run, push or jump on others around water.

Learn CPR for infants, children and adults.

In case of drowning

According to the CDC, two children 14 and younger in the United States die by drowning every day. And for every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

In a drowning accident, seconds make the difference between survival, recovery or death. Drownings occur when a child is left unattended, even for a brief moment. If a child is missing, always check the water first before looking elsewhere. Wading pools, swimming pools, spas, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, oceans, bathtubs, buckets and even toilets all pose a risk of drowning.

If you see someone struggling in the water:

Shout for help immediately.

Find something you can throw out to the person to pull him or her to safety, such as a life preserver, rope or towel.

If you can’t reach the person, throw out a floating object he or she can hold onto until additional help arrives.

Never swim right to the person. He or she is scared and may accidentally hurt you.

If no one hears your shout, call 911.

Next steps

How much do you know about children and swimming safety? Take our quiz.

http://ukhealthcare.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/watersafety.jpg5001200UK HealthCarehttp://ukhealthcare.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/UKHCLogo288x73.jpgUK HealthCare2016-05-24 21:11:522016-05-24 21:11:52Going to the pool? Keep the kids safe with these tips

In the past four weeks, more than one-third of people over the age of 55 in the United States have complained about hip or knee pain to their physician. In a lifetime, our hips and knees get a lot of use. There are various ways individuals can reduce the strain placed on their joints to maintain the health of their hips and knees.

Preventing knee and hip pain

Individuals have some ability to reduce the strain put on their knees and hips. The relationship between being overweight and joint pain is a contentious one. If joint pain is rooted in being overweight, it is important to healthily lose weight. Developing a stronger core can also lessen the strain placed on joints.

People who engage in “high impact” activities, like running, basketball or Zumba, can take steps to prevent joint issues like torn ligaments and inflammation. Physical therapy, to strengthen the muscles surrounding the hips and knees, can do wonders in reducing and preventing joint pain.

Supplements can aid in improving joint health and reducing pain. Omega 3s block inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins, reducing joint tenderness and stiffness. Also, ginger has been shown to be a natural anti-inflammatory while Capsaicin reduces substance P, a pain transmitter.

Treatment options

In the United States, nearly 30 million people are treated for joint pain in their knees and hips each year. Too often, joint pain is considered part of aging, and if a person has suffered over a long period of time, it can be considered part of life. Persistent joint pain, which lasts more than six months and is not responding to activity modification and/or anti-inflammatory medicines, means it’s time to see an orthopedist.

Common treatments for knee and hip joint pain are arthroscopy and joint replacement. Arthroscopy can be done for patients with mild arthritis to remove a torn meniscus in the knee or a labrum in the hip. Recovery from this procedure is typically four to eight weeks. Hip or knee replacements are done for more advanced arthritis. Recovery for hip replacement is typically four to eight weeks, but is largely dependent on the patient’s health. Partial knee replacement recovery lasts approximately four to six weeks; a total knee replacement has a recovery time of six to 12 weeks.

Reducing the chances of needing orthopedic surgery is possible, but knowing the signs of pain that may require medical intervention is vital.

Next steps

Hear what UK men’s basketball coach John Calipari had to say about his hip replacementat UK HealthCare.

http://ukhealthcare.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/hurtknee3.jpg4661024UK HealthCarehttp://ukhealthcare.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/UKHCLogo288x73.jpgUK HealthCare2016-05-23 18:02:532017-05-16 13:00:23Hip or knee pain? Know when to see a doctor

Losing weight is difficult, and keeping it off can be even harder. Many people regain the weight because typical weight loss diets involve drastic, unsustainable changes. But, learning to eat “mindfully” can fundamentally shift our relationship with food for long-term weight loss maintenance.

In our busy, convenience-oriented lives, eating has become an automatic behavior. Research shows we make more than 200 eating decisions daily, but we sometimes don’t take time to think about them. Instead, we often eat mindlessly, or out of habit. In a culture where we are surrounded by unhealthy food options, this has understandably led to a lot of weight gain.

Mindfulness means paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment — without placing judgment. Mindfulness-based approaches have been used with success in the treatment of health issues like stress, depression, eating disorders and chronic pain. When we apply mindfulness to eating, it helps us support our long-term health and well-being, because we learn to slow down and recognize when we’re truly hungry and when we’ve had enough to eat.

It’s not about meditating over breakfast — but about continually paying attention to how food affects us, so that we can make better eating choices. With gentle and attentive practice, we can reprogram the behaviors and reactions that cause us to eat mindlessly. This can lead to lasting changes from to how we react when there’s food in social situations to how we shop for and prepare food.

It might seem daunting to learn eat mindfully, but with practice it can become a habit. Here are few tips and resources to get started:

Your stomach is about the size of your clenched fist, so try to eat just that amount at one time. It actually takes 20 minutes for the brain to recognize that you are full, so try to wait before getting a second helping.

Pay attention to physical signs of hunger and fullness. Eat when you’re slightly hungry (not starving), and stop when you don’t feel hungry anymore (not full or stuffed).

Take time to look at your food, smell your food and taste your food more slowly to really experience it.

Minimize distractions (like screens) while eating. Sit down and focus your attention only on your food and your body.

Written by Teresa Lee, RD, LD, a teaching assistant in the University of Kentucky Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition.

Next steps:

Researchers at the University of Kentucky are looking for people who are interested in participating in a study about how mindfulness affects weight loss. For details, please contact Teresa Lee at 859-619-3640 or teresalee@uky.edu or visit ukclinicalresearch.com.

For many UK researchers who study health in Appalachia, the Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) is an indispensable partner in conducting community-based research. The Center, located in Hazard, connects researchers with the local community and provides necessary infrastructure, from conference rooms to a team of community health workers, called Kentucky Homeplace, who engage participants and gather data.

“Today is an opportunity for people who do research with the Center to report back about their findings, and see what we can come up with together to better our lives here in Appalachia,” said Fran Feltner, director of the CERH.

Addressing Appalachian health issues

Rural Appalachian communities in Eastern Kentucky experience some of the nation’s most concerning health disparities, including elevated rates of obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, depression, and cancer incidence and death. Residents of Appalachia might also face challenges in accessing health care, such as distance from providers, lack of insurance, or socioeconomic barriers.

Community-based research is essential in addressing disproportionate rates of poor health by collaboratively identifying problems and developing shared solutions that are a good fit for communities. For this type of research to succeed, it must begin at the local level, built upon the foundation of relationships with individuals, neighborhoods and groups who have common questions and concerns. In Eastern Kentucky, the CERH has enabled community-based studies since 1990, when it was founded to improve health through education, service, and research.

In 2015, the CERH launched Appalachian Research Day as an opportunity to share and discuss research findings with the communities that were involved in the studies. Feltner describes the day as an invitation for everyone involved in community health research to “come sit on the porch” of the Center and talk about their work and ongoing needs. More than 100 researchers, coordinators, community health workers, community advisory board members, students, and staff participated this year, with four podium presentations and 13 poster presentations.

“These research findings drive new and exciting health initiatives that are transforming lives across our rural Appalachian region,” Feltner said.

Researching change

The presen­tations focused on community research related to healthy lifestyles, depression, lung cancer screening, drug use and risk behaviors in Appalachia.

Mark Dignan, professor in the UK College of Medicine and director of the UK Prevention Research Center, discussed his work with faith-based communities to study energy balance, obesity and cancer in Appalachia. According to the CDC, the national obesity rate in adults is about 29 percent, while in Appalachian states the rate is 31-35 percent. Dignan was particularly interested in how to help people re-engineer their lives to include more physical activity.

“When you do research in the community, hopefully you’ll make change that will be lasting,” he said.

Rates of depression are also higher in Appalachia than the rest of the country. For Appalachian women, the rate of depression is four times higher than the national rate. They are also less likely to receive adequate treatment, according to Claire Snell-Rood, PhD, who shared her research on adapting treatment options for rural settings where the traditional mental health system is both inappropriate and inadequate.

“This research focuses on how to adapt evidence-based programs to address not only limited treatment options in rural areas, but the substantial social and health challenges that impede Appalachian women from obtaining the care they need,” she said.

Snell-Rood worked with Kentucky Homeplace community health workers to conduct interviews with women, and she is currently adopting a collaborative, peer-based practice to support rural individuals in developing their own processes for wellbeing.

Roberto Cardarelli, DO, MPH, professor and chief of community medicine in the UK College of Medicine, also presented his research project, the Terminate Lung Cancer study, which aims to understand the knowledge and attitudes of lung cancer screening among high-risk rural populations. Kentucky’s lung cancer mortality rate dramatically exceeds the national lung cancer mortality rate, with 73.2 deaths per 100,000 in Kentucky versus 49.5 nationally. Cardarelli and his team conducted focus groups in order to develop an effective campaign to promote lung cancer screening in the region.

“We like to focus on research that’s important to communities, and we couldn’t find a more important topic than tobacco cessation and lung cancer screening,” he said.

The final presentation of the day addressed drug use and prescription opioid use in Eastern Kentucky. Michele Staton-Tindall, PhD, associate professor in the UK College of Social Work, conducted research in jails to learn about drug use and health-related risk behaviors among rural women in Appalachia. She said that rates of drug use are “alarmingly high” in this area of Appalachia, with many users injecting.

“Injection is the preferred route of administration, which is coupled with increased public health risks including HCV and HIV,” she said.

Think e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to tobacco? You may want to think again.

Just last week the FDA announced new rules for e-cigarettes, which had been unregulated since they first became available in this country in 2007.

The new rules, which go into effect in August, treat e-cigarettes very much like the real thing. That’s because the two have a lot in common.

Unlike tobacco cigarettes, e-cigs do not burn. They use a battery to heat a cartridge containing nicotine and other chemicals, including flavorings, until those chemicals become a vapor that can be inhaled. The vapor from an e-cigarette does not contain the toxins and tar that tobacco smoke contains, but it does contain nicotine, one of the most addictive known substances.

And, at least until now, there was no way to know what other harmful substances the vapor contained. These could include formaldehyde, which is known to cause cancer, and the flavorings may themselves contain harmful toxins.

One of the biggest fears with e-cigarettes is that their flavorings will attract non-smokers, particularly teenagers, and lead to a lifelong nicotine addiction. Ask any smoker who’s tried repeatedly to quit and they will tell you they wish they’d never started smoking in the first place.

Another danger is nicotine poisoning in young children, who might be attracted to the e-cig flavorings.

The new rules prohibit misleading advertising, require health warnings on e-cigarette packaging and forbid sales to anyone under age 18.

Ellen Hahn, a professor at the UK College of Nursing and co-chair of the UK Tobacco-free Task Force, was quoted in a USA Today story about the regulations, saying the new rule is a good first step toward controlling e-cigarettes. “From a health perspective, to reduce the social acceptance of them is good because frankly, it’s the Wild, Wild West out there,” she said. “Vape stores are everywhere.”

Some fans of e-cigarettes say they can help smokers quit tobacco, but there’s not enough research at this point to know whether that is true.

The bottom line is it’s better not to smoke at all. If you’re a smoker trying to quit, be sure to seek out support to help you along the way. (See our list of resources below.) And if you’re a non-smoker, remember, that first e-cigarette could lead to a lifetime of trying to quit.

Washing your hands is one of the easiest and most effective things you can do for your health. When you wash your hands regularly before and after certain activities, you reduce your risk of getting sick and prevent the spread of germs to other people, too. It’s a quick and simple way to help keep everyone around you healthy.

Today is World Hand Hygiene Day and a perfect time for a handwashing refresher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are five steps for success: Wet, lather, scrub, rinse and dry. Here’s how to do it:

Wet your hands with clean water (warm or cold), turn off the faucet and apply soap.

Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.

Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from beginning to end or recite the ABCs in your head.

Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them, and use a paper towel to turn off the faucet, and then throw it away.

Make sure to wash your hands:

Before Also wash them before, during and after preparing food.

After using the bathroom.

After coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose or caring for someone who is ill.

After taking out the trash.

After petting animals.

When visiting someone who is sick.

Whenever your hands look or feel dirty.

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What do your arteries have in common with a garden hose? Quite a lot, in fact.

Increasing the pressure in a garden hose (whether by opening your faucet to full force or by plugging the end of the hose opening) can cause it to become rigid or even burst.

Blood in the arteries functions in much the same way. Consistently high blood pressure – also called hypertension – damages the tissues of the artery walls. While it’s fairly easy to replace a garden hose, hypertension can lead to serious medical problems and even death.

Hypertension is a chronic condition in which the systolic blood pressure (the top number in the measurement that your health care provider gives you) exceeds 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) exceeds 90 mmHg.

Although it’s normal to experience minor fluctuations throughout the day, one in three Americans experience high levels of blood pressure (exceeding 140/90) even without activity or stress. That can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and even death. This increased risk is compounded in people with diabetes, high cholesterol or smokers.

Generally, patients with hypertension can help control their high blood pressure by adopting healthy lifestyle habits such as:

Losing weight

Exercising more

Stopping smoking

Reducing stress

Eating a balanced low-salt diet

When lifestyle changes aren’t adequate, there are numerous drug therapies that can be used separately or in combination to reduce hypertension.

Occasionally, however, some people have what’s called “resistant hypertension,” which despite lifestyle changes and medications cannot be brought under control.

Our research team here at UK HealthCare is exploring a novel approach to treat hypertension by manipulating the sympathetic nervous system signals that contribute to high blood pressure. The sympathetic nervous system regulates the vital functions of the body by connecting the brain to major organs such as the heart, kidneys and blood vessels. If the sympathetic nerves connecting the kidney to the brain are overactive, blood pressure rises.

Our study is exploring the effect of renal denervation, a minimally invasive procedure that may potentially decrease the sensitivity of nerves lining the walls of the kidney arteries, thereby reducing the signals that cause hypertension.

Because it has no direct symptoms, hypertension is known as the “silent killer.” The best first step is to know your blood pressure readings and work with your doctor to control high blood pressure if necessary. If you’ve exhausted all other options, talk with your doctor about clinical trials such as ours, which may be able to help you better control your hypertension.

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Even though it’s easy to forget when you’re using it week in and week out, your lawn mower is actually dangerous and potentially deadly piece of equipment.

Each year 20,000 people are injured in the U.S. due to mower-related accidents, and 75 are killed. One in five of those deaths involves a child, and more than 600 children will lose a limb this year as a result of a preventable lawn mower accident. While it’s important to be extremely cautious when cutting your yard, one of the safest things you can do for your family is to keep your children inside while you’re operating a lawn mower. In many cases where children were injured, the adults involved didn’t know they were near the mower when the injuries occurred.

To raise awareness about the dangers lawn mowers pose to children, The Amputee Coalition and Limbs Matter, a group of parents whose children have undergone an amputation because of a lawn mower accident, have partnered on national safety initiatives.

Kids aren’t the only ones at risk from lawn mowers. Here are some personal safety tips to keep in mind:

Tax Day is fast approaching. If you’re like millions of other Americans who haven’t filed their taxes yet, you’re probably starting to get stressed out worrying about the April 18 deadline.

Stress can quickly have serious effects on your health, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, an upset stomach and tightness in your chest.

Keep these tips in mind to manage your Tax Day stress so you can stay healthy and productive while getting the job done on short notice.

Be calm and face the challenge. It may seem hard to in times of stress, but try to resist the temptation to ignore the problem and decide how you can face it head-on. Tax Day is an annual thing that everyone deals with, and it’ll be over the sooner you work on it.

Put the extra time to good use. Tax Day is three days later this year, so plan your best course of action to be done by April 18. If your problem is sitting down and filing all of your taxes at once, consider spreading that work out over the extra days.

Feeling overwhelmed? Remember to keep yourself in the present. The present is rarely as stressful as how you may imagine the future, so try focusing on your breathing or calming sounds to keep things in perspective.

Reach out for help. Talk to your friends and family about how they’re handling their taxes. If you still have questions, you can always hire a tax preparer or use tax prep software that will help resolve any issues that are causing you stress.

Avoid fighting over money. The last thing you need to do is argue when you’re already stressed out. If others are worried about how you’re spending, or vice versa, keep things civil by finding ways to discuss without an accusatory tone. You can work to find better spending strategies after you’ve filed your taxes on time.

Find time to relax. It won’t be much easier to file your taxes if you’re completely bent out of shape, so at least once or twice a day, spend time helping yourself unwind. Once you’ve finished some work on your taxes, reward yourself by taking a walk, reading a book you enjoy or exercising.

Plan for next year. Scrambling to meet a deadline is never fun. Since you know that you’ll go through this process again next year, consider how you can keep track of spending better and be ahead of the deadline next time around.